Bishamon-dō (毘沙門堂)

Bishamon-dō (毘沙門堂)Bishamon-dō (毘沙門堂)Bishamon-dō (毘沙門堂)Bishamon-dō (毘沙門堂)Bishamon-dō (毘沙門堂)Bishamon-dō (毘沙門堂)Bishamon-dō (毘沙門堂)Bishamon-dō (毘沙門堂)Bishamon-dō (毘沙門堂)Bishamon-dō (毘沙門堂)

Bishamon-do's story starts in 703, when it was known as Izumo-dera and located north of the imperial palace. The temple changed its name to Bishamon-do (毘沙門堂) after a statue of Bishamonten that was enshrined there. Like many other temples, it was ravaged by wars and fire, and rebuilt at its present location in the north of the Yamashina valley, just east of Kyoto. After an imperial prince served as head priest in the temple, Bishamon-do became a "Monzeki" temple, which means that its head priests are all of imperial descent.

Bishamon-do is famous for its beautiful autumn colours, both in the temple and in the alleys that lead to it. The temple has two main gardens. The first and most famous one is also the smallest. It is arranged around a narrow pond that surrounds a small building. A stone bridge gives a final "zen" touch to the garden. This is the perfect spot for admiring autumn foliage! The second one has a larger pond with a small island, and a small mausoleum at its far end. Although the best season for this temple is definitely autumn, the cherry trees in spring also attract tourists.

As usual, tripods are prohibited but the people were very friendly and proposed to keep mine safe during my visit. Most photographers come with one, because the paths leading to the temple are free to access and tripods can be used there. The temple seems aware of that: good point!

Recommended for: Access: 500 円

Nearby: Honkoku-ji 本圀寺 (1.1km)

External links: Website, ウィキペディア, Kyoto Navi, Trip Advisor, Kyoto Design, 京都風光, Marutake, そうだ京都, Satellite view, Map

Keywords: Japan, 日本, Japon, Kyoto, 京都, Yamashina, 毘沙門堂, temple, Bishamon-do, 寺院, 仏閣

Statistics: visited on 7 occasions, id 321, 16 photos (24 extra photos can be found in the archive).

Photos of Bishamon-dō:

Autumn colors at the entrance of Bishamon-do temple (毘沙門堂)
Temple garden in autumn (Bishamon-do 毘沙門堂)
Temple garden with pond in autumn (Bishamon-do 毘沙門堂)
Bright red autumn colours and golden bell around the main hall of Bishamon-do temple, Kyoto, Japan
Gold bell hanging from temple roof with autumn colours, Bishamon-do temple, Kyoto, Japan
Red bushes and autumn foliage in Bishamon-do temple, Kyoto, Japan
Bright autumn colours with maple trees and red bushes in Bishamon-do temple, Kyoto, Japan
Maple, buildings and dodan-tsutsuji contributing to an all-red image in Bishamon-do temple, Kyoto, Japan
Bamboo grove in Bishamon-ji temple, Kyoto, Japan
Feast of autumn colours around the pond of Bishamon-do temple, Kyoto, Japan
Snow-covered trees and red buildings in Bishamon-do temple, Kyoto, Japan
Little red hall hiding among the snow-covered trees in Bishamon-do temple, Kyoto, Japan
Show covered forest and orange temple buildings in Bishamon-do, Kyoto, Japan
Bishamon-do roof and golden bells on a very snowy day, Kyoto, Japan